


Drifting Far

by PurpleGecko



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, I don't know, Used to Be Friends, but with hallie, episodes 1-3, i guess, why not?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-25 09:08:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20374249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleGecko/pseuds/PurpleGecko
Summary: Harry, Allie and Cassandra were friends once, a long time ago. Time and change pushed them apart, but now they are forced back together in a parallel universe. What was once a good friendship is now something very different.





	1. From then to now.

Harry and Allie had been close friends for years, since they had met in the waiting room of the town hall, both their parents in some important meeting that was not for children’s ears. He had gotten along with her sister, Cassandra, too, but he had never been as close to her as he was with Allie. For a long time they were inseparable, partners in crime. Then, on Harry’s first day at middle school, things began to change. He was often busy, and so they didn’t see each other as much, and he and Cassandra suddenly began to refuse to talk to each other. It was strange to Allie, especially as both of them refused to tell her why. This continued for the next year, with Allie seeing and hearing from Harry less and less. It hurt her more than she cared to let on, mainly in front of Cassandra, who only ever seemed to have bad things to say about him.

Then, by the time she was due to join middle school (she was in the year below him and her sister) they barely even spoke anymore. She saw him on the first day, engrossed in some captivating conversation with Kelly Aldrich. Allie vaguely remembered him having a crush on her, but those memories were hazy, fogged up with a year of the cold shoulder. The thought of talking to him registered in her mind, but she soon brushed it off, seeing her friend Will looking lost in the corridor behind where Harry and Kelly were stood. She walked past them without a glance in their direction, she had wanted to look, to say something, or to get some kind of reaction. Instead, she bottled whatever feelings she may have had for Harry and called to Will.

Will turned to her and a relieved smile spread across his face. She gave him a quick hug and returned his smile. “Hey, you look a little lost,” Allie smiled, poking his shoulder slightly.   
“Yeah, I have English, but I… I don’t have a clue where anything is,” Will grumbled, wrinkling his nose, “They should really give us a map.” Allie chuckled lightly and shook her head.  
“It’s okay, I have the same lesson as you. We can be lost together,” Allie grinned, letting a wave of relief rush over her as Will smiled back. She may not have had Harry, but she had new friends to make. So, she headed off down the corridor, away from Harry with Will. If she had looked back, she might have seen him staring after her, a look of slight confusion at the way she hadn’t even seemed to acknowledge his existence.

The first year of middle school was, decidedly, one of Allie’s favourites. She made a big group of new friends. Most of all, her best friend, Will. She could almost forget a time when she’d had a different best friend. After that first day, Harry had made no attempt to speak to her, she was fairly sure the number she kept for him was the wrong one now. It was a strangely hard thing to do when she finally got around to deleting his number out of her phone. She had gotten a new phone and had sent out a wave of texts telling people she had a new phone number, and he had been the only to not reply. She had let out a long sigh and thought back to playing games out in the garden while the adults had serious conversations. She had then clicked the delete button and closed her phone.

From that point onwards the only interactions she had with Harry, were watching on with tired eyes as he argued with her sister. She still never did find out why they began to hate each other so strongly, she didn’t even know why he had decided to drop her as a friend. But, two years into middle school, she had few reasons to care. It was only natural that childhood friends sometimes drift apart, Harry had become this popular rich boy, and Allie was still Allie. Will almost hadn’t believed her when she had told him she used to be really close friends with ‘the great Harry Bingham’.

They had been sat on the bleachers one day, eating lunch outside in the summer sun, when they had seen him wandering by with Kelly and a group of the football team. She and Will had fallen into a fit of laughter after Will tried to imitate Harry. Had she not been laughing so hard, distracted by Will, she might have seen Harry frown at her. He was thinking back to a time when they had been so close. Harry knew why he had distanced himself from her, but sometimes it was nice to reminisce. He didn’t let himself dwell on such thoughts though, he quickly turned back to Kelly. Change isn’t always a terrible thing, even if it felt that way.

As the years when past, they made no attempts to resurrect whatever friendship they might have had. They were completely different people now, so why bother? While Harry wasn’t overly happy in his life, he truly believed he would be happier if he didn’t involve himself back in the lives of any of the Pressmen. Allie was happier than she thought she could have been, she had a great group of friends in Sam, Becca, Gordie, Bean and Cassandra. Then there was Will, her kind and thoughtful best friend, if only he could see the way Allie felt about him. Thoughts of Harry hadn’t crossed her mind in a long, long time.

One weekend Allie and Will decided to hang out, he took her to the arcade in the next town along. Neither of them were good drivers, so they had asked Cassandra to drop them off before she went to the big library down the street. To say she had a good time would have been an understatement, they played on the arcade games for two hours straight, winning almost nothing, before they turned to karaoke in the bar next door. It was only a few minutes before Cassandra joined them, though she wasn’t the singing type, so she just sat at a table and watched. It might have been awkward if Allie hadn’t been so drunk on adrenaline. It was halfway through ‘Ain’t no mountain high enough’ that Allie saw Harry walk in with Kelly. They paused for a second before turning away to sit at one of the tables near the entrance. He and Kelly leant forwards towards each other, talking in hushed voices.

Allie turned her attention back to Will, who didn’t seem to have noticed their arrival. When the song finished and they returned to their seats by Cassandra, the next singer taking their place up on stage. That was when Will seemed to notice Harry and Kelly. His eyes flashed dark for a second and he glared in their direction. Allie watched him, a strange feeling wallowing in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know if it was Kelly or Harry that Will was staring at, but she had a good idea. She thought about saying something, but the betrayal and pain had closed off her throat, and she couldn’t think of anything to say. Cassandra, perceptive and kind Cassandra, seemed to notice and she asked to leave, saying she was sorry, but she had to take her heart medicine soon.

Allie smiled and stood up, pulling Will with her. Cassandra draped an arm over Allie, whispering a quiet joke about the singer on stage that brightened Allie’s face. She swallowed down the bitterness, deciding that she was probably over-reacting, she and Will weren’t even together. Will walked just behind them, carrying Allie’s bag over his shoulder. She hadn’t even realised she’d left it. Just before they reached the entrance, he handed it to her with a knowing look and raised eyebrows. Allie laughed, “Shut up!”   
“I didn’t say anything,” Will smiled, holding his hands up defensively. There was something missing from his expression. Allie just wrinkled her nose and gave him a gentle push before grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the bar after Cassandra.

She was facing away, so she didn’t see the way Will stared at Kelly as he was dragged out, she didn’t see the way their eyes locked briefly for a second, she didn’t see the little smile that graced both of their faces and she wouldn’t have wanted to. No-one wants to have their worst fears confirmed, or have their heart broken. The three make jokes and laugh all the way home. Although Allie notices Will’s stony and conflicted expression, despite his participation in their jokes. Something just wasn’t right; Allie almost didn’t want to know what it was.

It was at the end of the first day the next week at school that Harry spoke to her. Nothing for almost five years and then he wanted to talk to her after their encounter with Will, it was almost ironic. At the same time, she had an idea of what was to come. He had walked up to her, his ever-present air of perfect self-confidence surrounding him. “Can we talk?” He asked, folding his arms and looking down at her as she sorted through her locker. “For the first time in five years?” Allie asked, turning her face to raise her eyebrows at him. He snorted slightly and shook his head, “It’s about Will… and Kelly.” Allie froze, she had been expecting it, but the information still seemed to take a few seconds to rush through her before she was capable of reacting. She thought about telling him that they weren’t together, that she wasn’t with Will, but then he might not tell her whatever it was that he wanted to, besides, he might know that anyway.

“Okay,” Allie sighed, glancing up and down the corridor for either Cassandra or Will. Harry noticed her looking and rolled his eyes. “Come with me,” Harry said and turned on his heel, walking away from her. Allie pursed her lips and blew her breath out through her nose in disdain before grabbing her stuff, snapping her locker shut and trailing after him. He led her through the school to the theatre, where they would have a play in the next few nights. Allie was going to be assistant stage manager, Harry and Cassandra were the leads, as per usual. He took her up behind the stage and sat, perched on top of one of the big black boxes. Allie never knew what they were used for, but they were here every year for the productions.

Not wanting to squeeze up onto the small space next to him she pulled one of the tall stools away from a desk nearby and sat on that instead. Harry watched her with a mixture of confusion and amusement. Harry paused for a second, the humour vanishing from his face as he began to speak. “Kelly broke up with me yesterday,” He said finally, with downcast eyes. He was biting his lip slightly and he looked genuinely upset. Allie wasn’t sure how to react, while they were once friends, it had been a long time and he had been such an asshole to Cassandra. “I’m… sorry?” Allie said when Harry didn’t say anything else, he seemed to have forgotten she was even there. His eyes snapped back up to meet hers, the sadness vanishing to be replaced with a seriousness and he carried on, “I thought you might want to know why.” Allie gulped, she could feel the coldness set in and her blood ran cold.

“Kelly has, like, a crush on Will or something. Considering the way they were staring at each other at the weekend, I just… thought you might want to know,” Harry finished with a deep sigh that was strangely understandable. He went to stand up, but Allie held a hand up to stop him. While the news about Will and Kelly was a painful wound, she would process that later, she couldn’t even be sure that Will was into Kelly (that was barely a comfort, she knew well enough). For the moment there was one thing Allie wanted to know, and she might not get this chance again, she and Harry barely ever even encountered each other these days, and after the end of term, he would be going off to college somewhere, never to be seen again.

So, she turned to frown up at Harry who had stopped to look down at her, a curious expression on his face. He was stood so close to her she could see the slight redness in his eyes. “Why did you distance yourself from me, all those years ago?” Allie asked slowly, she didn’t want to sound desperate, it wasn’t something she had thought about in a long time, but they were questions that never found answers. Harry swallowed, his eyes flicking around the room, before replying, “I don’t think you want to know the answer to that.” With that, he tapped his hand gently on her shoulder and walked out of the room, disappearing behind the dark of the stage curtains.

Allie was left dumbfounded for a second. She hadn’t been expecting the answer she got, what she had been expecting was ‘I found new friends’ or ‘I just drifted away’. Allie had never expected there to be a real reason, but from his sincerity suggested that there was, and she felt fairly confident in her ability to understand Harry. Allie didn’t have time to dwell on that, it wasn’t Allie’s biggest problem right now, Will was. She had had a crush on him for what must have been years, maybe she shouldn’t be so wounded at the prospect of Will dating Kelly, she wasn’t with him. She just desperately wished she was.

The next few days passed so slowly. She was always busy being assistant stage manager, but she was constantly distracted by staring at Will, who always seemed to be staring at Kelly. It unsettled Allie, and she wondered how long this had been happening before she noticed, she wasn’t that blind, was she? Or was it that now Kelly was single Will had a chance, and Allie lost hers. The final day of the play came around and Allie watched Cassandra and Harry on stage with awe for her sister. But, for once, she spared a few glances for Harry too. She didn’t think now was the time to restart some kind of friendship with Harry, especially since he would be going to college at the end of the summer, just like Cassandra would be, but some part of her wondered what things would have been like if she had done something when the distance between them began to grow.

At the end of the play she was leaving with Cassandra, Will in tow (How it always seemed to be) when they ran into Harry, Kelly and a group of the football team. Allie turned to look briefly at Will, whose gaze was fixated on Kelly. She then turned back to look at Harry, who was saying something snide to Cassandra. He fell silent as Kelly began to speak, and his eyes drifted to meet Allie’s. He offered a gloomy smirk that she returned after a second, noting the space between him and Kelly. As they left, she flicked her eyes back to Will who was still watching Kelly.

The next day was their school trip up to the smoky mountains, and Allie pushed any negative thoughts out of her mind, intending to have a good school trip away. Forgetting about the pain and change that Will being with Kelly might bring for just ten days. Obviously, things didn’t go to plan. The bus ride there was going just fine, they were laughing and joking, and then they were back, all alone in a town that didn’t quite feel like home. As they stood around Allie caught Will searching the crowd, and she knew who he was looking for. It spiked her heart. She never could seem to get a respite from her problems. Even still, when he turned to her, asking if he could come home with her, she said yes. Her heart wouldn’t let her say ‘no, go be with Kelly if that’s what you really want’.

There was still no-one at home, and Cassandra took charge in a motion that was so utterly predictable of her sister. Take the spotlight and glow like the stars in the sky. While Allie loved her sister more than anything, it was sometimes grating to be the one passed over time and time again in favour of her perfect sister. That wasn’t Cassandra’s fault, she couldn’t help but effortlessly do the right thing. Allie just watched as Harry stepped up next to Kelly, arguing her advice, as he always seemed to do. She distracted her thoughts of Will with ones of the conversation she’d had with him. She barely even heard the question her sister asked her, so she just nodded her head and said yes, if her sister asked it would be important and right.

She told them all to go to bed and sleep. Even Allie didn’t feel like doing that. She went back home for a while, but then joined the others at the party. Wanting to forget about the way Will looked at Kelly, she drank a little too much and did something she would live to deeply regret. She only really had one chance to make a move. She kissed Will, and he just looked at her with a sort of disappointment that made her insides crawl. He left her there, and she wished she could crawl up into a ball and never get back up. The realisation that he didn’t and would probably never like her was a little too much to bear. She sobered up very quickly, hurriedly leaving the church lest anyone see her tears and sitting somewhere near the gazebo in the green. It was like someone had grabbed her heart and stomped on it.

She didn’t want to go home, if she went home Cassandra would try to comfort her and make things better, and she didn’t want that. She didn’t even want Cassandra to know the mistake she’d made. Her mistake being that she had actually thought that someone might like her, why would anyone actually like Allie? What about her would anyone want to be with? She pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed into them. She was crying so hard she didn’t hear someone stumble up to her. “Allie?” A concerned voice sounded above her. Allie froze, she didn’t want anyone to see her like this, what if it was Will? Back to pity her or tell her they couldn’t be friends.

After a second, she took a shaky breath and looked up to see Harry looking down at her. He ran a hand through his already messy hair and frowned at her. He had alcohol spilt down his front, but he didn’t look overly drunk. “Are you okay?” He asked, and Allie just gently shook her head. He froze for a second, running thoughts through his head before he settled himself down next to Allie. “I fucked up…” Allie whispered; her voice more strained than she wanted. Harry sighed next to her and put one arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to lean on him. Allie might have questioned their closeness if she wasn’t still quite drunk. “Me too,” He muttered next to her.

There was something weird and familiar about the situation. Allie wondered once more what things would have been like if they had never drifted apart. She needed something to distract her from Will, or she was going to be crying for hours, and she didn’t want that. “Can we just talk about something, anything other than this…” Allie asked quietly, gesturing about her. Harry’s hand tensed on her shoulder for a second, but then his whole body seemed to relax. “Alright… when we were younger you told me that bowling balls were like hamster balls, and there was little creatures in them, and when they ran the bowling ball rolled into the pins,” Harry said, with a teasing tone to his voice. “I did not!” Allie cried, sitting up, but making no attempt to move away from Harry. If it wasn’t so hurt by rejection, Allie thought her heart might be going wild in this moment.

She thought briefly that they were sat close enough for it to be awkward, but she still had too much whiskey in her to care. “You really believed it too,” Harry said, and she could see him smirking in the dim light of the night. “How old was I?” Allie asked, leaning back into Harry.  
“I dunno,” He replied after a second, seeming thoughtful.  
“If I was a kid, you can’t blame me for that,” Allie smiled, although it was half hearted. The conversation carried on for several more minutes, with Allie talking to Harry about some of the stupid things _he’d_ done. She felt a lot better than she had before. They lapsed back into silence after a while. When Allie glanced back up at him, the smirk was gone, replaced with a serious and pained expression. She wondered for a second how much of the attitude he pretended to have was an act. His air of self-confidence had vanished, and she never remembered him being such a pretentious rich asshole, and he didn’t seem that way now. But at school, and around Cassandra…

That was when the church doors burst open, Will and Kelly walking out together, talking happily and engrossed in each other. Allie felt Harry tense up next to her and she, too, froze. She grabbed a hold of one of Harry’s hands, the one that was resting on her shoulder, as he looked as if he was about to stand up. She found she didn’t want him to do or say anything he would regret, just as she didn’t. Allie watched them, her heart pounding, keeping a hold of Harry’s hand, until they were out of sight. As they rounded the corner, she gently squeezed Harry’s hand, turning to look at him. His jaw was clenched shut and he was obviously upset. He turned his head to look at her, and she knew his expression was mirrored on her own face. She saw his face soften and he sighed, his expression turning from one of abject anger to defeat.

She still didn’t let go of his hand. She didn’t know if she wanted to. A few more minutes passed, and they remained sitting in silence, watching as more and more people left the church, heading to their respective houses. Then she turned to him and realised the solution to one of her problems. “Can I stay at your house tonight… I don’t want to go home,” Allie whispered to him. He blinked heavily for a few seconds, as if he’d been in deep in thought, and turned to her with a look of shock. “I can just stay on you sofa… if you have one,” Allie smiled sadly, she didn’t bother to hide her emotions. She knew they were in the same sort of position, and that he would see right through her. “I do have a sofa, but you can take my sisters room, even if she gets back… I don’t think she’ll mind,” Harry smiled emptily back at her.

She stood up first, away from Harry’s oddly familiar warmth and stuck her hand out to him. Harry hesitated slightly before taking her hand and pulling himself up. They walked in silence for a few blocks before Allie turned to him, and asked with sincerity, “Are you okay?” Harry rolled his head around to look at her. He wasn’t smiling but he didn’t look as broken as he had before. It was strange to see him walking hunched over and shoulders curled in when she was so used to the arrogant strut he seemed to possess normally. He gave her a small lopsided smile, and this time it wasn’t completely empty, “Are you?” Neither of them answered.

When they got back to his house, he led her upstairs to a purple coloured room that had posters of gymnasts on many of the walls. It was a fairly big room, all the rooms in the Bingham household were, and the double bed looked so soft and inviting. “There’s a bathroom through the white door. The pink door is to the closet, if you want like, some PJ’s,” Harry explained, standing in the doorway. He looked as exhausted and done as Allie felt. She made one last attempt to lighten the air, “Jesus, how old is your sister? Her closet is the size of my whole room.” Allie peered into it through the open door, there were clothes scattered everywhere. “She’s fourteen,” Harry smiled absently at her. Allie didn’t even know what his sister looked like anymore; it’d been so long.

In a sudden move that Allie didn’t even expect herself to make, she walked over to Harry and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. It was probably the alcohol. “Really, thank you Harry,” She whispered, her head just about resting on his shoulder. After a brief second Harry wrapped his own arms around her, squeezing gently and then they both let go. “S’alright… night Allie,” Harry mumbled, wandering off towards his own room with a quick wave to Allie as he went.

She decided to keep her shirt on but chose a big pair of black pants to wear instead of her jeans. Allie then clambered into Harry’s sisters bed, relishing in the softness of the covers and the squishy mattress. She could only guess how much it cost. Then with a sudden realisation she pulled her phone from the jeans she’d left by the side of the bed and texted Cassandra that she was going to stay over at a friend’s house. She knew Cassandra would worry otherwise, and that wouldn’t be good for her heart. She didn’t specify which friend, hoping Cassandra wouldn’t pry, as she wouldn’t like the answer. Then without a second thought she collapsed back into the bed, falling asleep instantly, exhausted from the strange situation and the emotional toll on her heart from Will.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allie deals with the morning after, and what her sister might think.

Morning came with a pounding headache for Allie. She woke up in a bed that was most certainly not her own. For a second, she forgot everything that had happened, and she didn’t know where she was, panic struck her very heart. Then it all came rushing back, the town devoid of people, the party, Will, Kelly and going home with Harry. She growled, wriggling in the overly comfortable bed. She reached for her phone, which she’d left on Harry’s little sister’s bedside table. There were three missed calls, and for a second Allie wondered if it was her mother, but they were all from Cassandra. She had sent a few texts as well, mainly informing Allie about what was happening and that she was going to get some people back to the church at some point. Cassandra seemed to believe that Allie was staying with a ‘friend’, and in some sense that wasn’t a lie.

Allie grudgingly checked the time, to see it was twenty passed nine. She really didn’t want to get out of the bed, or face the awkwardness of leaving Harry’s house, especially if he was up. Her phone beeped again, a message from Cassandra saying she was glad Allie was okay. Allie groaned and sat up, the sunlight filtering through a gap in the curtain lighting the room up. Allie pulled her jeans from the last night on and went to stand up. Before she did, she spotted a small diary on the bedside table. She knew it was private, and she didn’t even know Harry’s sister, but curiosity got the better of her. She picked it up and pulled the photo that was sticking up out of the book. It was of Harry and his sister when they were younger, they were stood on the beach with a man that Allie recognised as Harry’s father.

Harry’s father who had died six months ago. Allie didn’t remember how he’d died, but she knew it wouldn’t have been an illness. She frowned, as she turned it over. ‘You can make it to the happier times’ was scrawled on the back, in handwriting that she recognised as Harry’s. She smiled softly to herself and put it all back into place. With a heavy heart and pounding head she rubbed her eyes and made her way downstairs.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard an odd sound, it was like something rapidly inflating repeatedly. She headed towards the kitchen, where the noise was coming from, and found Harry leaning over the worktop, heavily and rapidly breathing into creased paper bag. She froze, unsure of what was happening or what to do for a few brief seconds. After she regained her composure, she threw any fears away and moved towards Harry, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. She hoped it was reassuring, she didn’t really know what else she could do.

Slowly, Harry’s breathing slowed down, and he put the paper bag down. He put his hand over Allie’s and his eyes drifted closed, as he calmed himself. A few seconds later he pulled away, a slight blush on his cheeks, he looked embarrassed. Allie didn’t move, placing her hand down on the counter watching him worriedly, “Are you okay?”  
He gulped and nodded, “I’m fine, I’m… it was just…” Allie realised she recognised when he wasn’t telling the truth, or if he was brushing something off, and he was doing that right now. “It’s okay Harry, I get it. I really do,” Allie said softly, hoping he would meet her eyes. After a second, he took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes. He was scared, she could tell that much.

Allie felt like he could see straight through her, see the fear, the confusion and the strange warmth she could feel in her chest. Harry opened his mouth, as if to say something, and then shut it again. He repeated this several times before moving about the kitchen, making some sort of breakfast. After a while Allie settled herself into one of the stools, watching Harry as he filled a kettle and poured some cereal. She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. Eventually Harry broke the silence, “Tea or coffee?”   
“Tea, if that’s okay,” Allie responded, mimicking the quiet tone he’d used. It all felt weirdly domestic and friendly. A few seconds later Harry set a bowl of cereal, a box of headache pills and a mug of tea in front of her and settled down next to her with the same cereal and a steaming mug of coffee. She watched him for a second before taking a painkiller and a sip from her mug. The thing that hit her instantly was that it was exactly how she took her tea, one scoop of sugar and no milk. “You remembered?” Allie asked him, frowning and turned to look at him again. He paused for a second with a spoon of cereal halfway to his mouth and shrugged.

Allie turned away from him again to hide the small smile that had spread across her face. “What was your sister’s name again?” Allie asked a second later, deciding that the silence needed to be filled. “Isla,” Harry said, turning to look at her, “She wants to be a gymnast, or a dancer.” He looked apprehensive and suspicious, but there was something else there, something Allie couldn’t place. “You close?” Allie asked, she wanted to talk.   
“We didn’t used to be, but after dad… mum wasn’t around, so I looked after her a lot,” Harry said hesitantly, his eyes dropping back to his cereal. Allie bit her lip and frowned at him.

They finished off the breakfast in more of a comfortable silence before Allie turned back onto him, needing to address the elephant in the room. “You get panic attacks often?” She asked, and for a second Harry looked taken aback by her bluntness. He studied her for a while before slowly nodding. “They started after dad died,” Harry said and flicked his eyes away from her as he spoke.   
“I used to get them when I was younger, when Cassandra was in hospital,” Allie said, looking over his shoulder into the distance. Harry nodded after a second and then slid off the stool, reaching for his phone that was flashing by the sink. As he did Allie’s phone began to beep too. “We have to go to the church… her highness calls,” Harry sighed, looking at Allie with one eyebrow raised. Allie rolled her eyes and stood up, “What do you even have against my sister?”

Harry didn’t answer, whether it was because he didn’t hear her or because he didn’t want to, Allie didn’t know. He wandered through the house, Allie following just behind him, until he reached the front door, where he grabbed a set of keys and unlocked the door. He held it open for Allie and then locked it behind her. Allie waited for him to lock up and then fell into step beside him. The morning was warm, and the sun put a nice shimmer into the dew. It would have been comforting if this whole place didn’t put Allie on edge, and if the light didn’t hurt her head.

As they walked Allie readied herself to face Cassandra’s glare when she arrived with Harry, to face all the glares. Distracting herself from the situation to come, she turned to look at Harry, as she seemed to be doing so often in the past few days. He was a good distraction. He looked worried, and he was squinting against the light too, hungover like her. She continued to stare for a while before Harry turned to her with an eyebrow raised cynically, “What?” Allie looked away, she had thought this would be more awkward, but there was an ease of familiarity, and even after so long, Allie felt that she still knew Harry. “I don’t know… I just haven’t seen you in a long time,” Allie said eventually, biting her lip and glancing up at him. He scoffed, looking away from her.

He didn’t say anything, and Allie wondered if she’d said something wrong, overstepped a mark she hadn’t seen. But when she turned to look at him, he looked confused and deep in thought. Allie didn’t mind, it was nice to walk in silence, nothing to say, nothing to worry about for just a few seconds. She had a feeling that things wouldn’t remain peaceful for very long, there was an ominous feeling to the whole place. Despite her sisters reassurances that their parents were probably just evacuated, Allie didn’t think she believed her, didn’t even think Cassandra believed herself.

When they finally reached the church, they were the last to arrive. Cassandra, Will, Luke and Sam were stood around by the entrance. Cassandra eyed them slightly as they approached, but if she was angry, Allie couldn’t see it on her face. Will, on the other hand glared at Harry, looking away from Allie when she looked in his direction. It made the constant feeling of bitterness in the pit of her stomach grow and writhe. She hated it. On the other hand, Sam and Luke didn’t even seem the slightest bit concerned, but there were bigger issues at hand.

Harry didn’t even pause, slumping down on the church steps next to Luke. Allie hesitated for a second before moving to stand in between Harry and Sam, who was stood slightly off to the side. She signed a greeting and smiled weakly at him. Her smile wasn’t convincing, but it was the thought that counted, and Sam returned it readily. She heard Cassandra start talking about going to find the adults, then Harry volunteered and made some snide remark towards her sister. Allie glanced down at him and frowned; she didn’t know quite what she was feeling towards him anymore. She’d gone from indifference to concern and having some strange desire to talk to him. He had come to represent a distraction from the horrors of Will and Kelly.

He left with Luke, heading back down the same road they had walked to get to the church. Allie listened to Sam’s point about the disappearance of the smell, and then turned to watch Harry as he walked away. She hadn’t really cared before, but something about the way he brushed off whatever happened between him and Cassandra had made her curious, and Allie was never good at controlling her curiosity. Once everyone filtered away, leaving Allie, Will and Cassandra alone, Cassandra tugged Allie to the side. “Whose house did you stay at last night? I won’t be mad, I promise,” Cassandra whisper asked, glancing at Will, who had started to wander off slowly.   
“It’s not like that Cass. I stayed in his sisters room, some stuff happened last night and I just… didn’t want to go home,” Allie explained, her eyes lingering on Will as he bent over to tie a shoe that Allie didn’t think needed tying.

Cassandra followed her gaze and turned back to her with an understanding look. “Right, I get it,” She whispered, pulling Allie in for a tight hug. Allie wasn’t sure if Cassandra really knew what she meant, but Allie didn’t want to elaborate, so she stayed silent. They began to head home, but a ping on her phone telling her that there was no way to leave town stopped that. They walked down to the bridge where there was a small group of people already waiting.

There was a brief discussion that Allie didn’t really pay any attention to before she heard Harry proclaim that he was leaving. She shot him an accusing question and he repeated his answer. He looked to Kelly, but she was staring off into the distance. He paused for a second before huffing and going to get into his car. As he moved his eyes met Allie’s and he faltered in his step. She frowned at him, giving him a look that she hoped told him to stay. He ripped his gaze away from hers and huffed again, louder this time. “What else can we do? This isn’t something we can just fucking figure out,” Harry asked, raising his arms up and gesturing around him.

Becca began to tell them about records in the town hall, and things they could research. Gordie talked about sending a drone up, or something like that. Allie wasn’t really listening, her thoughts were bogged down by the strange and unsettling concept that there was nothing out there, that they were all alone. They couldn’t be, right? There had to be something, they would find it. Then her attention flicked back to Harry, he had sat back down onto the bonnet of his car and was listening to the others speak. Though he wasn’t bothering to hide his look of disinterest. His eyes met hers for a second and she smiled slightly at him, a sort of thanks. She didn’t know why he had listened to her, if it had been Cassandra, she was sure he would have stormed off without a look back. He licked his lips and looked away.

After some more tense conversation, Campbell sent a text to the rest of the town, letting them know the situation. The first to arrive were the people on bikes, they threw them to the ground before they even reached the edge of town. Allie thought she saw one kid faint off of his. The original group began to disperse going home or heading somewhere better than the bridge by the edge of town. Allie thought she saw Will heading off with Kelly, but she wasn’t sure. There were two choices, stay and listen to Cassandra try to calm the panicked group that was growing with every second, or she could go somewhere. Home, the green or to get some food. She chose the latter.

For a second, she prepared herself to walk home on her own. It was a fair way, and there were people and bikes swarming the road. If she walked, she would likely get trampled. So, instead she walked up to where Harry was starting up his car. “Hey! Can you give me a ride home?” Allie called, as she made her way over to him. He startled slightly, looking up at her in shock before answering, “Sure, I guess.” Allie walked around to the other side of the car and climbed in. She knew Cassandra would be okay without her, she always was.

Allie found she liked riding in Harry’s car. He drove quickly, something that would give Cassandra a literal heart attack. It was nice to feel the wind in her hair and to close her eyes and pretend she was somewhere else. The drive was only a minute long, but neither of them spoke. Allie wasn’t sure there was anything to say despite the millions of questions in her mind. When they pulled up to her house Allie felt slightly disappointed. “Thanks again… for everything,” Allie said as she got out the car, “I mean it.” Harry looked up at her, his expression unreadable and smiled lopsidedly. He gave her a wave and drove away, Allie waving back as he went.

She went inside and flopped down on the couch, there was too much to deal with today. At some point she must have drifted off because Cassandra was in the kitchen when she woke up, and Will was just coming in the door. He didn’t look at her as he sat down on one of the chairs near her. Allie found her resentment towards him growing. After everything, he was still ignoring her? It wasn’t her fault she felt that way, she felt like shit and this whole situation was just about pushing her over the edge.

She went shopping with Will at Cassandra’s request and they found the store crawling with people grabbing whatever they could. She tried to talk to Will, but he was still ignoring her. She snapped a little, telling him that he could at least cut her a little slack, and that he was being unreasonable. He finally talked to her, but it was in the form of a short reply, and then he was gone. Allie stared after him, feeling mistreated. She had a terse conversation with a girl who she thought might be called Elle who was taking far too many carrots.

Then Allie walked home alone with two shopping bags. She didn’t even bother to look for Will, she doubted walking back with him would be any better than walking home alone. It would be silent, and not like the fairly comfortable silence of the drive home with Harry. Allie wondered how stupid she had to have been to genuinely believe that anyone might like her back. She was insignificant to everyone, no-one’s first choice. She felt like stopping in the middle of the road, dropping everything and breaking down into sobs. That wasn’t an option though, what if people saw her? They would think she was mad. So she kept walking, the tears in her eyes partially blinding her.

The next time Allie saw Harry was at the church. It always seemed to be the church. Luke and the expedition team had told them to gather there. The queasy feeling in Allie’s chest was growing and she didn’t think the news would be good. She had felt terrified all day, and it was starting to make her feel sick. Harry was arguing with Cassandra on the idea of sharing, of giving up what he already had. In a way she could see where he was coming from, he had a lot to lose compared to others. She thought briefly back to his sister’s room, and what would happen if a group of teenagers crammed themselves in there. In the end, Allie still agreed with her sister though. Cassandra was always right, that was just how it was.

Suddenly, the first gun shot rang through the open space. It was loud and the very sound seemed to reverberate around her body. She collapsed to the floor beside her sister. From where she was crouching, she could see Harry on the floor on the opposite side of the aisle to her. He was looking up with terrified eyes, towards Campbell who was the only person in the church left standing. Before Allie knew what was happening, Cassandra had stood up, Campbell pointing his gun to her chest. Allie’s blood ran cold. Without even thinking of what she was doing she scrambled to her feet putting herself in front of Cassandra. She locked eyes with Campbell who was looking at her with devilish and manic eyes.

Then Cassandra was pushing her out of the way, talking to Campbell. Allie went to move back in front of her sister, but a hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her down to the side. She started in slight disbelief as she turned to see Harry had stood up and pulled her to the side. Her attention didn’t rest there for long as she turned back to Cassandra and Campbell. They were talking with hushed voices, but you could still clearly hear them from around the church. She jerked slightly, back towards Cassandra, but Harry’s hand was still holding her wrist. Allie sucked in a breath and moved so that her hand was holding onto Harry’s. It was just the situation, she told herself.

Campbell put the gun down, laughing at them all. Telling them they were all fucking stupid. He relayed some twisted speech and told them to follow him. Harry moved to stand next to her, and he looked as if he was going to follow Campbell, so Allie gave him a look, pleading with him not to go. He looked down at her and she gently shook her head. Allie never expected it to work, so when he clenched his jaw, frowned and sighed deeply, she thought he was going to walk away. But he didn’t. He squeezed her hand, and Allie realised neither of them had let go. A fair few of the people in the church slowly got up and began to walk out after Campbell. But Harry didn’t, and neither did Kelly. She was just watching Harry with a slightly perplexed expression.

As the first of Campbell’s group reached the doors, they burst open. Allie sucked in a nervous breath, her grip on Harry’s hand tightening. Luke marched into the church; a girl’s body draped over his arms. She was dead. Allie had known her; she had shared notes with her once when Allie had been sick. Allie wanted to back away, to run home to her parents. But her parents weren’t here, and this wasn’t really home. The people in the church crowded round as Luke and Grizz laid Emily’s body on the table. She saw Cassandra’s step faltering and her lean against a pew. She squeezed Harry’s hand one last time before moving to her sister’s side. When she looked back at him, he was staring at Emily’s body, much like everyone else.

Cassandra asked to go home, and Allie wasn’t about to refuse. She looked to her side to see Kelly moving to stand by Harry, and they moved to follow after Allie and Cassandra. Allie spared them a brief glance. Kelly was stood a way off from Harry, who had his arms crossed defensively around him. They walked home in an uneasy silence. That was all it seemed to be anymore, silences that stretched on into the abyss of forest that covered the world that wasn’t home.

The next time Allie saw Harry was ten days later. She hadn’t been avoiding him, but she had made no notion to find him either. She had wanted to. She and Will were almost back on speaking terms, and she hated that she had to work her way back up to that. The rejection still sort of hurt, but it was much duller now, watered down by time. Earlier in the week she had seen him wandering down the road, Kelly by his side. So, when she found them sat together in the supermarket, laughing and smiling and looking so fucking happy she hadn’t been as surprised.

It still felt awful, but the pain was much quieter than when she had kissed him. Time, she hoped, would mend her open wounds. She hadn’t gone over to disturb them; she knew she would say something fucked up and ruin everything. So she had left and walked home. On her way she found Harry refuelling his car at the petrol station. “Planning a trip?” She called out to him. He turned, a small smile spreading along his face, but he clearly hadn’t heard what she had said, so she repeated herself. “Yes, a nice jaunt to the coast,” He quipped.  
“I don’t blame you, it’s a nice town but it can get old pretty fast,” Allie replied.

“There’s going to be a game of fugitive tonight, biggest one yet. Party at mine after,” Harry said as she passed him, his tone tempting her. She stopped, turning to face him, barely disguising the grin on her own face. “You asking me?” She teased. She knew they were both glossing over what had happened that first day they had gotten to this place. What would she even say? “You can be my partner if you want,” Harry smirked tauntingly. She didn’t like the way her heart lurched. Allie bit her lip; she knew why he was saying this. “She’s with Will, in the supermarket,” Allie told him sadly. His eyes flickered briefly, but he just looked slightly disappointed, “I don’t care, do you?”   
“No,” Allie said, blinking up at him.   
“We’re in the same boat, why not the same car?” Harry asked, and Allie wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. It was sometimes hard to tell.

In the end she settled with saying, “You can’t be an asshole to my sister and then nice to me.” His face fell at that, frowning. She turned to go, but his voice called out to her, “Tell her she can come too.” Allie was facing away from him, so she didn’t try to hide the smile on her face.  
“You say too many things you don’t mean,” She laughed as she walked away. She glanced back a few times as she walked away, and each time she looked Harry was still leaning on his car looking after her. She already knows she’ll go, but she doesn’t want to give him that satisfaction. The distraction he offered, she desperately needed.

It’s worth it when she walks up, waiting by the side-lines. These sort of parties were never Cassandra’s thing, and she had seemed lightly concerned when Allie told her she was going. Harry spotted her after a few seconds and excused himself from whatever conversation he’d been, and he hurried over to her. “You showed up,” He told her, pointing in her direction, a bright grin spreading across his face. Allie felt a happiness swelling inside her. “Who says I’m playing, could just be here to watch,” Allie said teasingly, smiling at him.  
“Yeah, naturally,” Harry grinned, “Why’d you change your mind?” Allie turned her back to him, she hadn’t changed her mind, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.  
“I needed a distraction,” She smirked back at him, it was the truth in a way, “And you have a fast car.” His smile grew and he unlocked the doors letting them both in.

The game was eventful to say the least. Allie wasn’t entirely sure what possessed her that night. Although, being hit by a car didn’t hurt as much as she’d thought it would, which was probably because she sustained no injuries. Allie had heard Harry crying her name in fear, probably because Cassandra would have literally killed him if Allie was injured. She didn’t want to consider the other options, that would complicate a lot of things. Her heart wanted complicated.

Once the fugitives were all caught or escaped, they retired to Harry’s house where they sat outside in the cool summery evening air. Allie sat by the pool with her jeans rolled up and her legs crossed. She had thought he would go and spend his time afterwards with someone else, but Harry stayed with her at the party. He was sat by her side, jeans rolled up and his legs dangling into his pool. Allie hadn’t thought about Will or Kelly or Cassandra or the town all night. She wasn’t lying when she said she needed a distraction, and this had been a good one.

She hadn’t expected this to be her favourite part, sat with a drink by her side and just talking to Harry. It was a weird feeling, but everything felt weird nowadays. They had moved the topic of conversation onto the weirdest things they could remember the other doing. “Alright, you fell asleep in, I think it was maths, and collapsed onto the floor. Everyone thought you’d fainted, and you were so embarrassed you played along. They took you to the doctors and everything,” Harry said, smiling broadly at her. “No I didn’t,” Allie grinned back, shaking her head. “I did not!” She added as he continued to look at her with a vaguely bemused smile. “Hand to god,” Harry replied, sitting forwards slightly.

“I was such a dork,” Allie said after a pause, memories of her younger self flashing through her mind. “No… no, you were… peculiar… and intense,” Harry said after a second, and there was a strange look in his eyes, the one that Allie could never place. Her heart raced. All of a sudden, the air seemed electric, charged with something that Allie could feel beating in her heart. After a beat Harry leant forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Allie moved back slightly, thinking of Cassandra, and he pulled away. Allie thought her heart would soon give up with the rate it was beating. She tried to contain her smile, biting her lip, but it didn’t work. She looked away, but she could still feel his eyes on her.

“What was that?” She settled on eventually, she thought her hands might be shaking.   
“I don’t know,” Harry was quiet, but he didn’t seem embarrassed, “I just didn’t know you.” Allie thinks there’s an irony in there somewhere. He was right in some ways, they were different people, and she didn’t know the Harry he’d grown into, and she supposed that he, in turn, didn’t know the Allie that existed today. But at the same time, she _did_ know him, and he _did_ know her. A lot might have changed, but she could still see through his lies.

A crack of thunder sounded somewhere distant and Allie was brought shudderingly back into the present. “We should go,” Harry said. Allie considered saying something rash and evocative, but the distant thoughts of her sister dampened that. She met his eyes and she suddenly lost her ability to breathe. It was as if the air had been compressed out of her, leaving her feeling dizzy and disorientated. The only thing she could focus on were Harry’s overly pretty face.

Then the first drops of rain came splashing down on them. Everyone else at the party began to rush inside, squealing as the rain hit them. Harry was the first to stand up, keeping his eyes locked on hers as he did. He held a hand down and Allie grabbed it, pulling herself up. But when they were standing, neither made any attempt to move. Their hands were still intertwined, and Allie didn’t even consider letting go. His hand was soft and warm inside hers. Allie was aware of the consequences taking the action she wanted to take would have. But in that moment, staring into his eyes, she found she didn’t care. It was the way he made her feel as if they were the only people in the world. It was the way he saw her as something separate to her sister. It was those fucking eyes of his, she always seemed to melt when they were watching her.

So she moved towards him and found him doing the same. His free hand was already on her back by the time their lips met. She let go of his hand moving her hands so that one was on his back pulling him closer to her and the other was running through his hair. In that moment she forgot everything else entirely. They only broke apart once Allie found she was running out of breath. Rain was dripping down over her hair and her shoulders, but she didn’t care. Allie rested her head on his shoulder as she caught her breath. She could feel Harry’s arms wrap around her, pulling her tightly against him. For a brief second, she wondered if anyone was watching them, and the icy thoughts of Cassandra began to creep into her mind.

Allie leant back from his shoulder to look him in the eye. The rain had soaked through his hair and it was hanging limply over his forehead, in a way that only seemed to make him more attractive. There would be no point in denying that Harry was handsome, Allie knew why all the girls seemed to fawn over him. He looked deeply into her eyes, and Allie thought that maybe she could deal with Cassandra. “We probably shouldn’t,” Allie whispered. She watched as the sides of Harry’s mouth quirked up and a drop of rain ran down his cheek. “No,” He mumbled, and Allie wouldn’t have known he’d spoken if she hadn’t been so close.

She grinned and brought her lips back up to meet his, breathing in the rain and tasting the alcohol on Harry’s lips. When they parted once more, Harry smiled at her and stepped away from her grabbing a hold of her hand and leading her inside. Allie wondered for a second where he was taking her, but it was just to the kitchen where everyone else seemed to have gathered. He settled himself at the side of the room on one of his worktops, never releasing Allie’s hand. He ran his free hand through his soaked hair and looked at Allie who was stood just behind him, their intertwined hands leaning on the counter by Harry’s leg.

She had been looking around the room at everyone who was talking in hushed voices, but when she felt his eyes on her she turned to meet them. As their eyes met, Allie bit her lip to disguise the smile that was spreading across her face. He didn’t bother, smirking down at her like they shared some secret. The lights flickered off. Harry tugged on her hand pulling her to stand close to him. The lights flicked back on. There was an uneasy silence that settled over the room. The lights flicker on and off again. “When the lights go off, who turns them back again?” Olivia asked, to nobody and everybody. “Maybe they never go back on,” Grizz wondered aloud, he looked worried. Everyone looked worried and scared. Allie tightened her grip on Harry’s hand, it was a sudden closeness, but Allie didn’t want to go without it.

“You got any flashlights?” Jason asked Harry, standing up authoritatively.   
“Maybe, somewhere,” Harry responded, forcing a lightness to his voice, “I mean, phones.”   
“They’ll run out of power man, then we can’t charge them,” Jason said, which unsettled Allie even further. “We can go and get some from the hardware store, right?” Luke volunteered, patting Clark on the chest. The other members of the guard were quick to agree, nodding in support. “We should go home,” Olivia piped up again, her voice wavering slightly, “Before it really gets dark.”   
“Well, you’re all welcome to stay until morning… if you want,” Harry called to the room. Nobody spared a glance to the lack of distance between Allie and Harry, there were bigger scarier things to worry about than the typical teenage drama. The absence of the usual glances and hushed whispers was what worried Allie the most, it was as if they had lost that which made them young and light.

It wasn’t long before everyone filtered out of the house, going for flashlights or home. It left Allie and Harry alone. She moved around to stand in front of him, looking up at him with wide eyes. He shifted forwards, sliding to his feet, and pulled Allie in for a hug. It was impulsive, they were finding comfort in each other rather than succumbing to fear. Yet still, Allie couldn’t help the warm feeling in her chest when she thought about his smile. It was sudden, and yet they had known each other for years.

Harry rested his chin on the top of Allie’s head, and she sighed, relaxing into him. “Cassandra is going to hate this,” Allie muttered, thinking of the look that would surely grace her sisters face. She felt Harry snort and he pulled away from her. “Is that going to stop you?” Harry asked, his voice soft and serious. Allie pouted, with a look of fake concentration, “Hmm… I don’t think so.”   
“Oh? Why’s that?” Harry asked, there was the beginning of a smile appearing on his face.  
“You have fast cars,” Allie said, doing her best to look serious. Harry barked out a short and genuine laugh, looking shocked at the sound. Allie found she couldn’t stop smiling, despite the situation and despite everything.

Maybe they were both still chasing different people, and maybe it was jealousy and hurt that was pulling them together, but if it was, Allie thought that she didn’t mind. She felt happier than she had in a long time, and she wasn’t going to jeopardise that by making this serious. It was okay that it wasn’t serious, it didn’t have to be, right?

After a little while they moved into the living room. It was darker in there, the rain running down the windows and the curtains half-closed. Harry had flopped onto the sofa, laying on his back. Allie had considered him for a second before crawling to lay on top of him. Harry regarded her with surprise for a second before laying his arms over her back and letting out a long and tired breath. For five minutes there was peace. Harry was warm, comfortable and safe. She yawned into his chest and was letting her eyes drift closed when both of their phones began to chime. It was like an angry bird or insect intent on ending whatever peacefulness Allie had found.

She felt one of Harry’s hands move off of her back and fumble around beside them. Then she felt his whole-body tense underneath her, going rigid. She pushed herself up, and he did the same so that they were sitting facing each other. “What?” She asked, Harry looked afraid. He didn’t say anything, just lifted his phone to show her the picture of the town on fire. There were people scattered everywhere, on the floor or stood, fists raised. Allie met Harry’s gaze and saw her wide-eyed expression mirrored. Harry stood up, heading towards where Allie was sure the front door was. Allie reached for her phone forwarding the message to her sister before following after Harry.

They practically ran to the centre of town, Harry holding his coat over them as cover, even though they were already dripping in the rain. When they turned a corner they slowed to a stop, Gordie, Cassandra, Will and Kelly were already stood together watching the scene unfold. Cassandra spared them a brief glance; her face was stricken with fear. Allie glanced briefly around her, Will was giving her a confused look, everyone else was watching the chaos before them. Allie turned to look herself, there were people fighting and stealing whatever they could get their hands on, running through the dark streets, rain splashing everywhere. Allie fumbled around with her hand until she found Harry’s, gripping it tightly in the dark, they were both holding the others hand as tightly as they could.

A loud bang and a shattering noise came from behind them. They all turned around, and Allie felt Harry pull her closer to him. People were running crazy, smashing whatever they could. It was chaos as Allie had never seen it, and she was terrified. Cassandra turned back around, and Allie watched her lock eyes with Harry, her face was pale, and Allie worried for her health. This was the perfect situation to terrify anyone, it was anything but good for her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is a shorter one, just to wrap everything up.


	3. Hide from the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of fluff to finish off, just some sweet Allie/Harry moments, I guess.

Life never seemed to agree with Allie’s thoughts and wishes. After watching the chaos of the world on fire and people fighting earnestly over pointless things. The storm had brought madness and darkness in two ways. Deciding that it was too dangerous to remain in the middle of what seemed like a war zone, Cassandra had begun to head home. It was still raining, and they were all soaked, but it seemed like such a menial thing considering what they had just seen. They had walked in silence most of the way, Cassandra and Gordie in front, then Kelly and Will, then Allie and Harry, with Cassandra and Will shooting her a few suspicious and hesitant looks. Allie wondered why for a while, until she realised, she was still holding onto Harry’s hand, walking beside him.

Even when she noticed, she didn’t let go. She had found a small bit of happiness in this fucked up anti-matter reality and she wasn’t about to let it go. Even if it was mad, and even if it riled up her sister. Allie loved Cassandra, more than anything, but it was tiring to comply with everything she thought was best for Allie, as if Allie didn’t know what was best for her. She probably didn’t, but in this case, Allie wasn’t going to listen. For his part, Harry had been silent since they left the house, simply rubbing small reassuring circles on the back of Allie’s hand with his thumb. She supposed it was just as much for him as it was for her.

When they reached the intersection between the two roads, one heading towards Allie’s house, one heading towards Harry’s, they paused. Harry looked down at her, keeping their gaze locked for a few brief seconds. It was long enough for Allie to come to her conclusion. The others ahead of them had stopped, but Allie didn’t notice. “Stay with me, please?” She asked him, quietly and the emotions flickered through his eyes before he nodded. Allie turned to pull him along behind her to see everyone else watching, some in a dazed stupor, others in confusion. Allie wondered if in any other setting this might be a strange cliché of a situation. Cassandra, oddly, was the first to turn back around and carry on walking. The others fell back into line, bar Will, who gave Allie a short stare, that told her he wanted to talk, before he carried on.

“Are you sure?” Harry whispered gently to her, his voice sounding gentle and vulnerable. She guessed he wasn’t overly comfortable spending time with a group of people who weren’t overly fond of him. But he was, because she asked that of him. She looked up to the sky, letting the rain drip down over her. “Yeah,” Allie sighed, turning to look at him. The look in his eyes was soft and warm, contrasting with the cold air of the night. He was shivering, the rain had soaked through his jacket and shirt. Allie was probably shivering too.

They reached home and Cassandra immediately headed upstairs, probably to change into something less wet and cold. It wasn’t good for her heart. Gordie took his coat off and wrapped himself in a blanket on the sofa. Will and Kelly went to the kitchen, presumably making something warm. Seeing them together didn’t send a chill down her spine, and Allie was scared at what that might mean. She went to follow them inside, but Harry didn’t, and her hand was pulled from his. Almost immediately she craved the warmth it brought. She turned to face him. He had shoved his hands in his pockets and was scuffing his foot on the floor.

She didn’t think she’d ever seen him nervous before. Allie sighed, and grabbed one of his arms, yanking him inside forcefully. He let out a small cry of protest and Allie felt the warm feeling in her chest grow just a little bigger. He looked at her apologetically, “Are you really sure you want me here?” Allie let out a small laugh, with all his bravado gone, Harry was still the same as he always was. “I do,” She stated, looking deeply into his eyes, hoping he could see how much she meant it. Harry grumbled slightly and took of his coat and shoes, that she packed away. Kelly walked past with three mugs of something warm in hand and offered a small smile. It was all still for a second too long and Allie wondered if she had made the right choice. Kelly walked back into the kitchen and out again with three more mugs. Allie realised that she had made one for Harry too, and it didn’t seem so bad.

Kelly gestured for Harry to follow her into the living room, and he hesitantly obliged with a brief glance back to Allie. That left Will alone in the kitchen, and Allie knew what was expected of her. She wandered into the kitchen. Will was clearing away the tea bags and refilling the kettle. When he finally noticed Allie had moved into the kitchen, he stopped moving to stand close to her. “Allie, what are you doing?” He asked sincerely. He sounded worried and that frustrated her, did they not trust the decisions she made, to keep herself safe? She knew that she should be glad they cared about her and were looking out for her, but in that moment, he felt like less of a friend and more of an extra parent.

“What do you mean?” Allie asked, the tension evident in her voice. Will let out a suffering sigh that only pushed Allie’s frustration higher. “Why are you doing this? To get back at me or something?” Will asked exasperatedly. “Not everything is about you. I told you how I felt, you ignored me for days, which was unfair. I had to work back up to just talking to you! Fuck, Will, it’s nothing to do with you,” Allie hissed under her breath, rubbing her temples with her fingers.  
“That’s not what it seems like Allie, especially with…” Will began, but Allie turned on her heel and left the room before he could say anything.

She huffed angrily, and once alone in the hall she took several deep breaths to calm herself down. There was no use in arguing over such childish things, especially with Will. She thought about going back and explaining that to him when Cassandra’s voice called for her from upstairs. Allie groaned inwardly and walked towards her sisters room; her heart heavy at the prospect of the conversation to come. As she walked in, Cassandra was sat on her bed holding two cardigans up in front of her. She noticed Allie’s arrival and threw one on, returning the other to its place in the cupboard.

“Allie,” Casandra smiled sadly, moving onto her bed to allow space for Allie to sit in front of her. She seated herself cross-legged on the bed, mirroring Cassandra opposite her. “What is it Cass?” Allie asked, aware of the tiredness in her voice. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Cassandra sighed, resting her hand on Allie’s knee. “Considering the circumstances, I think I’m doing the best I can be,” Allie said quietly, slumping in her position, the energy that had been keeping her up falling away. “Okay, and you’re sure about… about what you’re doing?” Cassandra asked. She was far more tactful than Will, and Allie appreciated it, despite how demeaning it was. It’s not like Harry was a murderer or anything like that, she’d known him for a long time, but she supposed his rivalry with Cassandra made it hard for her to see anything but his flaws. “I am,” Allie stated firmly, looking into Cassandra’s concerned blue eyes.

Allie wondered if she was going to say something else, but in the end, she just nodded with a quiet ‘Okay’. With that she stood up, pulled Allie into a tight and comforting hug and then let go, leaving the room and heading downstairs. She didn’t follow Cassandra, taking a moment to collect her thoughts and feelings. Everything in that day had been so rushed and fast, and she would need time to think things over. She was really following her gut on the things she was doing. Usually she would be more collected and think things over like Cassandra did, but in this new place her ability to consider all the options was disorientated. She just had to trust in herself.

She finally took in a deep breath and went downstairs into the living room. Cassandra had curled into one of their two armchairs, holding her mug of hot tea close to her. In the other armchair, Will was sat staring off into the distance, he didn’t spare a second glance to Allie as she walked in. She hated that him feigning disinterest was a relief to her. Gordie was huddled in one corner of the sofa, his empty cup of tea resting on the table just ahead of him. On the other end of the sofa Harry was sat with his legs crossed, looking awkward and out of place. Allie had to supress a smile as she looked at him, there were too many scary things happening to let herself be distracted. Kelly was sat on the floor between the sofa and the armchair Will was in, acting as a barrier between Harry and Will. Allie was grateful for two reasons. One, it prevented them going off on one another, though Allie doubted Harry was in the mood for an argument. Two, it left space for Allie to settle herself onto the sofa between Harry and Gordie.

When she sat down, Harry shot her a relieved glance, and he seemed to physically relax. Allie picked up her own mug of tea and leant back into the sofa. They remained in silence until Cassandra finished her tea and quietly excused herself to take her medicine and sleep. Gordie followed shortly after and Allie smiled gently at him, he really did care about her sister. Gordie was a sweet guy, but her sister was playing him in a way she didn’t even realise. Allie doubted Cassandra had told him about Yale. It was a few minutes later that Kelly excused herself, going to make herself some more tea. Will followed after her, shooting Harry a glare as he went. Once they were gone, Harry leant into her and whispered, “I don’t think he likes me.” Allie snorted quietly and smiled at Harry.

“Who would?” Allie whispered back and Harry put a hand on his chest, pretending to be hurt. He mouthed ‘Ow’ at her and she smirked up at him. She wriggled around so that she was leaning against him, and he laid an arm around her. Allie was aware of the glare Will might give them if he walked in, but the part of her that cared was watered down by the events of the day and the comfort she felt from Harry’s warmth.

Ten minutes later the front door opened and shut again, and Allie briefly saw Kelly walk down the drive, followed by Will who was trailing after her. Allie could hear his talking muffled by the walls, but she didn’t understand what he was saying. Neither of them came back in. “Allie?” Harry whispered, it was so quiet and soft that she almost didn’t hear him. “Hmm?”  
“Why me?” Harry asked, and Allie felt her heart lurch harder than she thought was possible.  
“What do you mean?” She asked and turned her head to look at him. She was glad the light was on; she could see him perfectly in it’s warm glow. She could see the slight shadow his eyelashes cast over his eyes, and the way bits of his hair curled down over his forehead. Allie wondered if this was what angels look like, or was he a perfect devil?

“Why’d you choose me?” He asked, his voice wavering at the end. Allie frowned at him, thinking of a way to answer that question. How could she express the way he made her feel in words, without it sounding weird. “That’s hard to answer. There’s a lot of reasons Harry,” Allie said eventually. She took a hold of his hand and squeezed it gently, hoping that it backed up her words in some way. In response Harry buried his face into the top of Allie’s head. “I mean, I could ask you the same thing. Why me?” Allie whispered back to him. He paused for a second before mumbling, “You’re smart, funny, sweet and you’re pretty hot too.” Allie giggled slightly, but he pulled away from her and she looked up to see his expression. “I’m serious,” Harry smiled at her, and there was a delicate warmth to his words. Allie could feel the heat on her cheeks and her heart was pounding louder than she’d ever heard it.

She shifted gently and moved her face up to meet his. It was soft and gentle, and it sent the flame in Allie’s chest into a frenzy. Harry put one of his hands under her chin and the other around her back. Allie could feel the sparks from her chest dancing over her face and she was starting to feel dizzy. She pulled her lips away from his but kept her forehead against his. Allie stared into his eyes, sucking in a breath as they drifted up to meet hers. It wasn’t really love, Allie thought, but it didn’t _need_ to be.

Then she had to go and ruin the moment. Her nose twitched and she scrunched it up, trying to prevent herself from sneezing on him. She ducked her head away and sneezed, pulling her hand up over her nose. She could hear Harry laughing, it was quiet, but it was genuine, and it sounded like music to Allie’s ears. So much so that she started giggling too. A sudden wave of exhaustion fell over Allie and she yawned widely, blinking tears away. “I think maybe you should get some sleep,” Harry said, gently pushing her to stand. He stood up after her and followed her out into the hall.

He went to open the door, but Allie laid a hand over his. Harry didn’t say anything, just frowned at her as she brought him upstairs. She shoved him into her room before he had time to protest. Then she crept into her parents room, where Gordie was sprawled over the bed snoring loudly. She reached into her father’s drawer and grabbed a pair of pyjamas, hoping they would fit Harry. As she walked into her room, she found him looking at a picture of her on her first day at school, Cassandra by her side and her parents behind her. She snorted at him and chucked him the PJ’s, earning a raised eyebrow.

“I will get changed in the bathroom,” Allie explained, rolling her eyes at him. She doubted that changing in the same room was a good idea. Harry just nodded as she went through a door on the left. When she got back, he was sat on her bed scrolling through his phone. Allie chucked her dirty clothes into a basket by the door and rummaged around in her cupboard until she found the blanket she was looking for. It was one that her grandmother had knitted for her, and Allie found it comforting. She slid into her bed, leaving space enough next to her for Harry to sleep. Her bed was likely nowhere was big as his would surely be, but it was going to have to do.

“You sure about this?” Harry asked slowly. The clothes she had given him were a bit too big, but he didn’t seem to care. Allie nodded and he laid down next to her, pulling the covers over himself. She hesitated slightly before turning the lights off and shifting to lay her head on his chest. It was odd because he smelt of the detergent her mother used mixed with whiskey and something sweet. Harry wrapped one arm around her, and she could feel his chest falling and rising. The feeling of peacefulness washed over her again, and she found comfort in his warmth.

After a while Harry’s breathing deepened and she knew he was asleep. She let herself smile, shifting to look at him. Without the conflict and emotions on his face Harry looked peaceful too. There was a slit in the curtains that let a beam of moonlight fall over a section of his face. It only made him look softer and more angelic. Allie was well aware Harry was far from an angel, he was rude, self-centred and rarely considered the affect his words would have on others. But there was a whole lot of good in him too, things Cassandra liked to pass over. Allie smiled to herself for a second before she laid her head back down on his chest and let herself drift off to sleep as well. Allie knew it might end in tragedy, but she would take as much as she could until that happened.

Because the future didn’t really matter in that moment. Maybe Harry’s words would still get her sister killed, maybe she might be forced into leadership, maybe he might descend into a vicious cycle of drugs and manipulation, but those were worries for another time. The darkness of night disguised the bleak future with shimmering moonlight and false hopes of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might do a couple of one-shots to go with this, once I've finished off my other fic, if anyone would like that?


End file.
